Road leveler and scraper.



No. 836,506. PATENTED NOV. 20, 1906. p G. W. KAUPFMAN.

ROAD LEVBLER AND SORAPER.

APPLIGATION TILED JUNE l2 1906.

INVENTOI? CZarZar/Zffimffmarz I 19 W 60 I /7 A TTOHNEYS THE nonms PETERS co., wAsmNcmn, 0 c4 UNI ED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROAD LEVELER AND SCRAPER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 20, 1906.

Application filed June 12, 1906. Serial No. 321,333.

To all whom it may concern.- Be it known that I, CHARLES W. KAUFF- MAN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Dale township, in the county of McLean and State of Illinois, have invented a new and Improved Road Leveler and Scraper, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention is an improved machine for leveling and scraping roads, streets, or farm land and the like. The invention contemplates the production of a device of this char acter which shall be of simple construction and an effective means to level a road or other land, combined with a detachable dragplate to adapt the machine to be used in the capacity of a scraper when desired.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a plan View of the machine com plete. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of'the same, and Fig. 3 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken through the pivotal connection between the leveler-beam and tongue sub stantially on the line 3 3 of Fig.- 1.

The invention consists of a tongue 1 of suitable length pivotally connected to the center of a transverse leveler-beam 2 by means of a bolt 3, passing through the tongue and through a plate 4, secured to the top of the leveler-beam. At some suitable point forward of the leveler-beam a doubletree 5 is pivoted to the tongue on a bolt 6, said tree having connected to it at each end a swingletree 7.

The leveler-beam 2 is rounded at each end,

as shown at 8, in order that as it is being dragged along it will easily pass by roots or bushes with which it comes in contact. The bottom edge of this beam has a rearwardlyinclined leveler-blade 9, said blade as it is pulled over the surface of the street or other ground cutting off the inequalities and bringing it to a uniform height. Each end of the beam has attached to it at its top edge a metal plate 10, projecting a slight distance over the beam at its front edge and overhanging the rear edge considerably farther, where it is attached to an angular braceplate 11, the opposite end of the brace-plate being connected to the leveler-beam near the blade 9 by bolts 12, these bolts being of sufficient length to pass through a detachable L- shaped drag-plate 13, having holes in its vertical portion to aline with the holes through the leveler-beam.

Plates 10 are similar to the plates 10 and intermediate of them to provide additional bracing means for the leveler-beam, in that said plates have secured to them and to the beam 2 inclined plates 11, similar to the plates 11.

The rear end of the tongue has secured to it by bolts or other means a rearwardly-inclined spring-plate 14, supporting a seat 15 for the operator. Near this seat is a handwheel 16, fixed to the upper end of a rearwardly-inclined shaft 17, passing through the tongue and journaled in a metal bearing 18, said shaft having fixed to its lower end below the tongue a beveled pinion 19, designed to mesh with a pinion 20. The pinion 20 is journaled in the tongue 1 and carries at its upper end at the top of the tongue a grooved pulley 22 and underneath it a ratchet-wheel 22 designed to be engaged by a double-end pivoted pawl 22 for locking the movement of the gearing in either direction. The pulley 22 has passed about it a rope, belt, or

,chain 23, passing forward about a pulley 24,

fixed to a shaft 25, journaled in the tongue near the doubletree 5. Also fixed to the Shaft 25 above and below the grooved pulley 24 are drums 26 and 27, respectively. These drums have attached to them, respectively, in some suitable manner ropes, chains, or other flexible connections 28 and 28, passing to and connected with springs 29 engaged in the front ends of the plates 10. These s rings are for the purpose of taking up the s ack in the ropes or allowing them to elongate when the leveler-beam is turned in an angular position. I

The forward ends of the plates 10" are connected with a curved or semicircular plate 30, concentric with the bolt 3 and offset downwardly near its ends at 31 in order that a space will be provided between this and the tongue which passes over it, said tongue carrying a roller 32, journaled underneath it, bearing on the plate 30, which partially sustains its weight.

In the operation of the machine the levelerbeam is used solely with the leveler-blade or in connection with the drag-plate 13, according to the-nature of the work which is to be performed. The operator seats himself on the seat 15 and drives the horses hitched to the swingletrees 7 and also operates the handwheel 16 to throw the leveler-beam at an angle to the tongue in order to discharge'the dirt collected by this beam at either side of the road or at the roads center. The beam is locked in any desired angular position by the operator working with his foot the pawl 22 to engage the teeth of the ratchet-wheel 22*. As the hand-wheel is turned the rope 28 or 28 is wound or unwound about its respecti ve drum, according to the direction in which the hand-wheel is turned, positively forcing the beam and tongue to take an angular relation.

Although I have described the invention in detail, it is to be understood that its scope is limited by the annexedclaims only.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. In a device of the character described, the combination of a tongue, hitching means connected thereto, a beam pivotally connected to the tongue, leveling means carried by the beam, means for reinforcing the beam,

drums journaled on the tongue, flexible connections attached to the drums, springs forconnecting the flexible connections to the beam, andmeans for winding up one of said flexible connections and unwinding the other to turn-the beam at an angle to the tongue, as described.

2; In a device of the character described, the combination of a tongue, a leveler-blade at the lower end of the leveler-beam, a seat attached to the tongue, and an'operating-le ver journaled in the tongue adjacent to the seat, for'drawing the beam and tongue at an angle to each other.

3. In a device of the characterdescribed, a tongue and a beam pivotally connected to gether, means for leveling the ground, carried by the beam, a flexible connection. between the tongue and beam, and means foroperating said connection to throw the tongue and beam at an angle to each other, for the purpose described.

4. In a device of the character described, the combination of a tongue, a beam to which it is pivotally connected, scraping and leveling means carried by the beam, means for reinforcing the beam, a curved bar fixed to the beam and passing under the tongue, a roller journaled at the under face of the tongue over the curved bar and adapted to bearupon it, a seat forthe operator, attached to the tongue, and operating means adjacent to-the seat to throw the tongue and beam at an angle toreach other, for the purpose described.

5'. In a device of the character described, the combination of a tongue, a beam pivotally connected with the tongue, leveling means carried by the beam, a seat for the operator, attached to the tongue, an inclined shaft ournaled in the tongue having a handwheel at its upper end adjacent to the seat, drums fixed to a shaft j ournaled in thetongue, flexible connections attached to the drums and connected with the ends of the beam, and gearing intermediate the shaft and handwheel for turning the drums ineither direction to throw the beam and tongue in an angular relation, as described. 1

6. In a device of the character described,

a tongue, a leveling-beam to which the tongue is pivotally connected, flexible connections provided with resilient means between the tongue and beam, and means for alternately winding and unwinding the flexible connections, as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES W. KAUFFMAN.

Witnesses:

D. J. SAMMON, N. W. BRANDICAN. 

